Safety closures and container assemblies have been developed to reduce the number of accidental poisonings resulting from young children who have access to unsafe medicines, drugs, household chemicals, and other products. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,482,814 to Hedgewick, issued Dec. 9, 1969 discloses a mold apparatus for making safety caps having a base, peripheral flange and a plurality of radially inwardly extending lugs on the inner surface of the peripheral flange adapted to engage notches on projections of a container. An apparatus is disclosed for molding the cap member, the apparatus including a core body fixed to a core retainer plate and a stripper and core ring which is removable axially relative to the core retainer plate for axially displacing a cap formed on the core body. A plurality of circumferentially spaced pins are yieldingly urged upwardly by a spring to in turn tend to urge the stripper and core ring axially upwardly thereby displacing a molded cap from the core member.
Reissue U.S. Pat. No. 27,156 to Hedgewick, issued July 20, 1971 also discloses a safety cap and container assembly. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,327 to Hedgewick, issued Apr. 24, 1984, discloses a tight vial assembly with a one piece cap. The cap includes a base portion and skirt portion extending axially therefrom and lugs extending radially inwardly from the skirt portion. A yieldable ring portion perfects a seal with the lip of the container as it is urged against the lip of the container during the engagement of the lugs with the outer surface of the container.
The present invention provides a mold apparatus and method for man facturing safety caps including the radially inwardly extending lugs from the skirt portion of the caps. The invention further provides a cap construction manufactured by the aforementioned inventive process.